Alteration of intestinal bacterial flora as a result of using different levels of spirulina powder and cloves in the diet of ordinary carp

Abstract

Introduction: The composition of the intestinal microflora of animals is affected by the
type of food, on the other hand, the use of natural compounds and traditional medicinal
plants such as spirulina and etc. as a new component in fish diets is expanding today. The
aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spirulina algae powder and clove powder
on the gastrointestinal microflora of common carp juveniles.
Materials & Methods: 160 juvenile common carp (Cyprinus carpio) (average weight
16.20±1) were fed for 8 weeks with diets containing different amounts of spirulina algae
powder (5, 10, and 15%) and Cloves powder (2, 4, and 6%) per kg of food. At the end of
the period, the Guts and viscera of juveniles were harvested. DNA was extracted after
preparing the required sample. The extracted DNA was used to build a new generation
molecular library and sequencing. The abundance of intestinal bacteria was determined by
molecular study and DNA extraction by quantitative analysis based on Real-Time PCR.
Result: The results showed that increasing the amount of spirulina powder in fish diets by
up to 10% and clove powder by up to 4% increased the activity of firmicutes bacteria. While
the activity of Bacteroides was observed in the treatment containing 15% spirulina and 4%
of clove powder. Bacterial activity decreased in both bacterial groups by increasing the
percentage of clove powder in the diet. This activity was lower than the control treatment.
Therefore, the addition of spirulina powder (up to 10%) and cloves (up to 4%) can improve
the intestinal microflora of juvenile common carp.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it was found that herbal supplements have a positive
effect on the beneficial bacteria of carp gut microbiota and they can provide an effective
strategy for aquaculture activities.